The Nationals have returned Rule 5 Draft pick Evan Reifert to the Rays, per announcements from both clubs. Washington’s 40-man roster is now at 39 players. The right-hander is back in the Rays organization and will not count against Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster. The fact that Reifert is being returned to the Rays indicates that he first cleared waivers after being made available to the league’s other 28 teams.
The 25-year-old Reifert (26 in May) signed with the Brewers as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and was traded to the Rays a bit more than a year later in exchange for infielder Mike Brosseau. He made his way to Double-A in 2024, pitching 41 1/3 innings of 1.96 ERA ball with an eye-popping 40.4% strikeout rate against a 9.9% walk rate. Despite the gaudy strikeout rate, Reifert was left unprotected last November and was the fifth player off the board in December’s Rule 5 Draft.
Last year’s 9.9% walk rate was higher than average but still far and away the best mark of Reifert’s career. He walked 14% of his opponents in 2021, 12.5% in 2022 and 37% in 2023 (in a tiny sample of 7 2/3 innings). Command has long been an issue, and that was again the case during spring training. Reifert issued a dozen walks and tossed three wild pitches in just 6 1/3 innings (39 batters faced).
Reifert has yet to pitch in Triple-A, but he’ll presumably do so this season. If the Rays can get his walk numbers back to even the 10-12% range, he has the potential to be an impactful big league reliever. The 6’4″ righty features a heater in the 94-97 range and an overpowering slider that MLB.com credits as a 70-grade pitch (on the 20-80 scale). FanGraphs touts that slider as a legitimate 80-grade offering … but couples it with 30-grade command.
“A” for Reifert, Nats!
Sorry folks, however, we have a no return policy. Feel free to come back, and we’ll make it up to you next time.
70 grade slider with 30 command? oops. wow, no idea where that pitch will land.
Sounds like Austin Adams!
Wear and elbow guard and don’t swing when he’s on the mound.
This dude clearly did not want to play for the Nationals. Best way to make that does not happen is to stink it up in camp. 16 walks in 41 1/3 innings last year. 12 walks in 6 1/3 this spring.
Maybe, but for a lot of people being a Rule 5 guy can be their best chance to make a big league roster.
Maybe he didn’t want to be close to the trumpster. It’s hard to go from AA to the show. Better to do AAA.
Dumb take.
Good. There was no reason to clog up a roster spot with Reifort and then hardly use him, as they did with some other Rule 5 guys over the previous two seasons. Maybe they could have afforded to take that chance then (and it may have worked out afterwards with Nuñez) but it’s time to press for better results.
He just needs glasses, doesn’t anybody watch movies anymore, he’s “wild thing”!
Rifling Reifert!!! See you in Durham
K% is improving but it looks like he needs some more work on the farm.
The ghost of Steve Dalkowski returns.